Day & Night in the Milky Way

The Solar System furnishes our most familiar planetary architecture: many planets, orbiting nearly coplanar to one another. However, a typical system of planets in the Milky Way orbits a much smaller M dwarf. These stars present a very different dynamical blueprint in key ways when compared to the conditions that nourished evolution of life on Earth. Using ensemble studies of hundreds-to-thousands of exoplanets orbiting small stars, my research program investigates the links between planet formation from disks, orbital dynamics and stability of planetary systems, and the presence and observability of their atmospheres. These processes bear upon the potential for M dwarf systems to evolve and sustain living things. Planets orbiting small stars will comprise the majority of the targets for detailed space-based atmospheric follow-up investigation in the next decade. By leveraging the many thousands of planet discoveries in hand, and understanding the patterns among them, we can determine how best to use this precious and limited resource.

Видео Day & Night in the Milky Way канала CfA Colloquium